The 2011 NHL Entry Draft: the view before the break
by BCISLEMAN on Dec 19, 2010 3:50 PM EST
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The transaction freeze has gone into effect and the junior and college squads have mostly shut down until after the World Junior Championships (WJCs) which start a week from today and conclude January 5th.
Even at this early juncture in the season, certain things are obvious. First, the rest of the NHL has separated itself from the Islanders and the Devils. Florida and Toronto at 28 points are a full 8 points ahead of the Devils and 10 points ahead of the Islanders. Teams do not usually make up that kind of ground. Add to that the fact that Toronto does not own its' pick and that Burkie will thus be moving heaven and earth to work deals to make the Leafs more competitive and it is safe to conclude that the Islanders and Devils will own the top two picks in June.
The remaining question is which team will finish on the bottom. Just two points separate the two teams after Saturday's action and the Islanders have two games in hand on the Devils. Assuming both teams received a point a game for the rest of the season, they would finish tied at 70 points apiece. Then it would come down to their head to head record. Since the Islanders have won the only meeting to date, that would put the Devils ahead for the number one pick at the moment.
There will be changes in the roster talent for both teams. Kyle Okposo and probably Josh Bailey will return next month for the Islanders and Zach Parise is due to return in early February for the Devils. Mark Streit's return date is unknown. The earliest he might return is February. My guess is that neither Mark or the Islanders will be pushing to get him back on the roster before he is completely ready. He may or may not return in time to make a real difference in the Islanders' point total.
The other changes will be in trades. Lou Lamoriello will no doubt explore trades for his aging veterans, but they all have NMCs and NTCs and may or may not agree to a deal. It is safe to say that the Islanders will be shipping Dwayne Roloson out of town. James Wisniewski and Milan Jurcina are also good bets to be moved before the deadline. Radek Martinek is a possible rental and Blake Comeau's name has been mentioned in trade rumors.
It seems likely that Garth Snow will work a deal to bring in a veteran winger in addition to possible draft picks. Simon Gagne's name has been mentioned. Both Wisniewski and Comeau currently have more points than Gagne, who had been out with a neck injury, so it is unclear if such moves would make the Islanders more competitive. Normally, however, when a team sells off talent, the immediate net effect is usually to degrade the on ice performance.
The long and short of all of this is that the Islanders and the Devils will have pole position for the top two picks. Even if the lottery does its' worst, neither team can drop more than one place. It is safe to assume, therefore, that the Islanders' first pick will be at least the number three and more likely either the number one or two.
That leaves the question of who the Islanders should select assuming that they do have the number one pick. If Garth Snow trades away Wisniewski and Jurcina and gets back Gagne, that would suggest that Garth and Co might be leaning toward defensive prodigy Adam Larsson. Of course, conventional wisdom is that you draft the Best Player Available (BPA) regardless of need. Who is the BPA right now?
The Islanders probably are not interested in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins however talented he may be. They need more size and that is something that you cannot teach. That narrows the field to Larsson, two way center Sean Couturier, and tough gritty power forward Gabriel Landeskog who deserves extra points for the marketing potential of his name (Welcome to the Land of Landeskog!).
It would be great if there is a blogger who follows the Swedish Elite League (SEL) and is familiar with Larsson's play this year. What I can tell you superficially is that Larsson has been held to 1-7-8 in 28 GP. He has also had rather limited ice time compared to teammates and 2009 draftees Tim Erixon (Calgary) and David Rundblad (St. Louis traded to Ottawa at the 2010 draft). Their stats are much higher than his as well. Last month Redline dropped him down to #4 behind Couturier, Nugent-Hopkins, and Landeskog in descending order.
Couturier's and Landeskog's stats are roughly comparable. Through 32 GP for both, Couturier is 16-36-52 and Landeskog is 25-20-45. Given that Couturier is the center and Landeskog the power forward, it makes sense that Couturier would have higher assist totals and Landeskog higher goal totals.
How are the Islanders assessing the three? No way to know that, of course, and the WJCs are a key marker in deciding between two prospects who a scouting staff assesses as relatively close to each other. Assuming that the Islanders have these three pretty close together, a really strong performance by one of them could make the difference in who the team picks. As I have noted before, John Tavares and Nino Niederreiter were the two most dominant players at the last two WJCs and they both became Islander draft picks. Coincidence? Probably not entirely.
It is possible, of course, that the Islanders have already decided which of these three they will select if they have the number one pick. Garth Snow claimed to have decided on Tavares prior to the 2009 WJCs. I suspect, however, that a standout performance by one of the three may influence the Islanders' choice.
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Nugent Hopkins
Ryan Nugent hopkins is definitley the way to go he seems like a natural goal scorer and could greatley complement JT and Bailey. He also reminds me of a better Duchene
by Justin Breslin on Dec 19, 2010 11:47 PM EST reply actions
I have no doubt that he is very talented and he might work on another team
but the Islanders need size. If Garth wants a center, Couturier is probably the way he’ll go. JT is a natural goal scorer himself and so is Matt. They need a playmaker more than a scorer. Of course, Josh and Rob fit that profile while Nino is a nice combination. The ideal scenario would be to work a trade for a veteran playmaker to line up with JT and then use the top pick for Larsson, but of course it ultimately depends on how they assess the available talent. Maybe they see Landeskog as the next Clark Gillies or Couturier as the next Trottier. Don’t know that anyone can fill The Captain’s skates, but Larsson might come close. Any of those three would be a great fit for the Isles. Would be very surprised if the Isles pick RNH. Thanks for the comment though!
RNH has 8 goals and 33 assists this year, and by all indication, is the opposite of a natural goal scorer.
RNH’s best asset is his playmaking and vision on the ice. He’s an unbelievable passer.
he does have the rep of being very skilled
and on a team with more size, he would be great. Isles just don’t need another small center or forward. And I will go out on a limb and say that he will not be chosen with either of the first two picks. Probably not even the third. Boston and Florida are there most likely and Boston won’t be looking at a center and Florida will be looking for size.
Boston won’t be looking at a center
Heh, Boston, so engorged on gifts from Toronto: “No really, enough! We’ve eaten too much!”
Lighthouse Hockey: No Streit, no Okposo...not that we particularly care.
I personally think its too early to tell right now who might be the best fit. As you noted – we’re waiting to see what Garth does in terms of trades, resigning of certain players, etc. If I have to pick right now solely on the basis of stats I would be taking either Couturier, Landeskog, or Nugent-Hopkins. The Islanders need goal scoring. We can trade for a couple more defensemen as well as teach our forwards to play a more responsible role on defense. You can’t teach someone how to score. This being said, we have great centers – JT, Bailey, Schremp, Neilsen, and Konopka. We need wingers who can bury the puck. Landeskog seems to be the best bet based on the fact that he’s a goal scoring winger in a bigger body. Couturier seems to be another JT.
My guess – Landeskog.
Down With Wang.
JT and Matt are both goal scorers
Certainly JT was drafted as such. I can see Landeskog as a guy who can score and watch JT’s back as Clarkie did. But you still need someone to get JT the puck. Who will that be?
voted landeskog, no real reason, just like the name Gabriel, we need some biblical help on the isle
NYI Hockey! We'll get that winless month yet!
Draft Day Deal
Loved the write up. Good insight and I agree with most of your logic. RNH is probably not the right fit. Saying that, I also do not think the other forwards work. To me, we are already supposed to have our top line. JT and Okposo would be Couturier and Landeskog.
When building a team that is going to contend, I think it needs to be pointed out, you don`t win without a stud defenseman. And I mean a stud. In the modern era, the only Cup winners who lacked a stud were Carolina and the Broad Street Bullies. There are always exceptions but, thats two teams in 43 years (67-10). Savard, Orr, Robinson, Potvin, Coffey/Lowe, MacInnis, Chelios/Robinson, Coffey/Murphy, Leetch/Lowe, Stevens/Niedermayer, Lidstrom, Boyle, Niedermayer/Pronger.
The Isles lack the big, minute-munching, point producing D-man. If Larsson is that guy, then I would be all for trading down a spot or two to pick him. If we land in the top spot and can add another piece by moving down to 3 (assuming Couturier and RNH go 1-2) then I am all for that. I mean, its not like we don`t have tons of holes to fill.
However, don`t get me wrong about Couturier. If he is as advertised and the Isles take him I won`t be disappointed. The Pens built up the middle and stockpiled talented fowards and its working for them. I would have no problem with a 2014 Isles that had JT-Couturier-Neilson-Konopka down the middle. With Bailey, Okposo, Nieder and Schremp on the top two wings. Thats a nice workforce, all roughly the same age and all with upside.
You'd definitely have to put JT on the wing before Bailey.
JT is a pure goal scorer, and has received a lot of flack for a lack of two-way game. I see him as more a Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille type scorer, so why not have him finishing for Couturier and Bailey as the second line center?
definitely?
that schtick is getting old, he’s got a terrible plus/minus because he’s on vs better talent, and gets his points on the PP mostly, not because he isn’t improving in his own side of the ice.
his passing and vision blows away hulls at this early stage
if they were going to move JT to the wing, it would have been done arleady, all that top line is missing is KO’s talents carrying into the zone and along the boards, last year those 2 created space for each other, and D’s forgot about MM or he was in the right spot to bang a rebound in…
if Bailey’s playing center at the bridge, then they don’t plan on having him play wing in the nhl… him JT and #51 are our top 3 C’s for the next few years it appears
NYI Hockey! We'll get that winless month yet!
I could see the Isles moving Nielsen
and either making Josh first or third line center…assuming they keep Rob at second line. A trade that might work is Frans for Mikael Samelsson. He has been demoted to third line. Might make a good linemate for JT.
Regardless of whether JT plays center or wing
he needs a talented veteran playmaker along with Kyle. That will probably require a trade.
Is there a reason no one seems to suggest Nino would make good fit for JTs wing? A playmaker with size and speed, seems like a fit to me.
Nearly enough defensemen to last through the injury bug
He might ideally end up there but
probably not right away. Initially he would probably be on the second or third line while he learned the ropes a little more.
unless they do decide to move Josh to #1 center
Unless they trade somebody, they may need to do that. Of the two, Josh seems like a more natural pivot and JT a more natural goal scorer. It will be interesting to see where Josh plays tonight.
My take
If Garth wants either Larsson or Couturier, he needs to just pick. If he decides on Landeskog, a trade down might work. If Boston is in the #3 slot, it might work quite well. They have a lot of prospects and cap issues. If they can get Larsson with the #1 pick, they might give up Stuart and maybe even their later pick to get him. So you might get Landeskog and a later pick and a good defenseman. More likely though Garth just picks who he wants.
Isles have a genuine franchise defender in Mark Streit
Larsson is the guy he would groom to fill his skates…and I could think of no better mentor.
I voted for Larsson
I think Landeskog has improved his rep throughout the season, and Couturier’s rep is pretty much safe. Larsson, on the other hand, has much to prove because 1.) he plays in Sweden so a lot of us have never seen him play and 2.) his stats indicate that, for whatever reason, he is struggling a little bit this season. He’s got the most to prove, and if he’s as good as they say he is, I’m sure he’ll have an awesome tournament.
Tough to compare someone playing in the SEL against someone playing in juniors
that’s why teams look so closely at the WJCs to see how they do against each other. Larsson had a great WJC tourney last year. We will see.
Might be a good time for a trade down
A trade down to #3 would probably still net Landeskog and give us an asset such as another pick (2nd rnd)or a young, almost NHL ready player.
I'd want more than that for a trade down to #3
a nice position player and / or another first rounder…which Boston could provide. Trade down is possible, but more likely Garth just picks.
Alternative poll answer: CDH!
Hopefully Calvin de Haan “helps” himself a lot at the WJC and catches a lot of people’s eyes. (I’ll throw in Cizikas and Nelson if he makes it, too.)
That’s my biggest hope, anyway. Draft-wise I hope Larsson is both available and as good as billed whenever the Isles’ turn comes up in June, but I’ll wait for the horse before I load my cart.
Lighthouse Hockey: No Streit, no Okposo...not that we particularly care.
we will probably be one or two
Between us and NJ. NJ could go either way. They probably need a franchise center as much or more as a franchise defenseman. In our case, we probably need Larsson more. If they are #1 and pick Larsson, I’d probably go with Landeskog.
If the roles are reversed
If NJ are #1, I wonder if they’d try to dangle a swap to let the Isles take Larsson, with some salary dumping going the other way.
Lighthouse Hockey: No Streit, no Okposo...not that we particularly care.
Anything's possible but
in practice trade downs from the #1 pick don’t really happen that often when you have star quality talent available. But Lou will want to maximize the effect of this pick with having to give up another first rounder at some point and all of the other rebuilding problems he faces, so who knows?
Screw em. That's our pick right now and me wants a #1 d-man to replace streit that we won't have to trade for or miraculously acquire through free agency.
John Tavares=The Franchise, The Future, and still only 20yrs old, SO GIVE HIM SOME F**KING TIME TO MATURE CRITICS! Not everyone is Wayne Gretzky(although Tavares did break some of his records....tee hee)
Getting Larsson would be ideal
Failing that, I would probably opt for Landeskog. In any event, Garth must figure out a way to get a veteran who can help JT on the top line. My favorite idea now would be for Frans and Mikael Samuelsson to change uniforms on January 11 when the Canucks visit. Hate to lose Frans, but Mikael would be perfect in a lot of ways and Frans is the one guy that the Canucks might consider a straight up trade that would send Samuelsson back. Size, experience, by all accounts a great teammate…plus if Larsson is drafted, he could make him feel at home. He does not have a NTC or NMC and is under contract until next year as is Frans. Would save the Canucks some cap room that they will need and give them more options when Salo comes back. Would help the Isles keep at the cap floor if they trade Wiz and / or Roli.
Good ideas. Not a bad move, especially if ullstrom pans out as hoped to replace frans.
John Tavares=The Franchise, The Future, and still only 20yrs old, SO GIVE HIM SOME F**KING TIME TO MATURE CRITICS! Not everyone is Wayne Gretzky(although Tavares did break some of his records....tee hee)
even without Ullstrom
leave JT as #1 center, probably Schremp as #2 because of his lack of defense, and Josh as #3.
Voted for Larson
I think good teams build from the net out. We’ve got some promising prospects in net and a couple of good looking D-men on the way or already here (Hamonic, De Haan, A Mac, and I like Donovan from last years WJC) but I think we lack a real #1 once Streit leaves. D-men also tend to take longer to develop than forwards unless they are Drew Doughty. I think we have a number of forwards now who just need time to grow into the players they will eventually be. If the mindset is Landeskog then I think you trade down to get him cause he’s not a number 1 or 2 in my mind. I suspect I’d take Courtier over Landeskog if we were going forward.
voted "other"
I think somebody is going to have a surprising tournament and move himself up from the 30-50 range into the middle of the first round. (Nino did something similar, as I recall.) You could see a guy like David Musil catch fire and do himself some major favors… or someone we aren’t really discussing at all, except possibly as a second-round pick.
known far and wide for stat-fu and irking people
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
"isn’t it amazingly simple to use the link pop-up?" - JPinVA
Musil is hurt
Hairline fx of his leg. Doubt he plays. Unless he has a killer combine, he may drop like a stone at the draft. He wasn’t impressing folks with his offense before he was hurt.
Not usual for a player to get into a top two pick as a result of the WJCs. JT made himself the obvious pick over Hedman by his WJC, but he had been the consensus #1 all along and this was just insurance in fending off Hedman. Nino rose from nowhere to the #5 pick and some will say that the Isles overdrafted at that. I disagree with them, but he was never going to be considered as a top two pick. Unless all three of these guys are busts at the tourney, I don’t see anyone other than maybe RNH breaking past them for a top two pick.
but of course if you see a possible dark horse during the tourney
your thoughts will be appreciated!
I always feel a bit leary about these guys that suddenly surge out of nowhere or almost nowhere. It’s great if someone has a hot stretch but will they turn into consistent performers over the long haul?
in Nino's case
he had been doing it. Was doing quite well in Portland as my repeated posts about him in late 2009 attest!!! But he was from Switzerland—not exactly a hockey power—and was playing in the WHL rather than the OHL, so no one noticed. The WJCs got him noticed. They will probably get someone else noticed and elevated this year as well. I would be surprised, however, anyone rises out of the ranks into top two contention.
I always feel a bit leary about these guys that suddenly surge out of nowhere or almost nowhere.
Dylan McIlrath all the way up to #10 for the win!
/sorry, just felt like a random Rangers jab
Lighthouse Hockey: No Streit, no Okposo...not that we particularly care.
Wonder if McKeen's has a lot of Ranger fans on its staff?
They have DM at #25 on their prospect list and TH at #72. Don’t they know that DM was getting splinters in his butt watching TH play until TH got injured and traded? The irony is that if TH hadn’t been injured and traded, DM probably goes in the later rounds, certainly not a first rounder at all.
seems like I misread your post
Yes, it is possible for someone to do a Nino and move all the way up to the mid first or even the top ten. Of course, unless we can either parlay a trade of the Wiz or Boston is at #3 and works a trade up to us at #1 offering, among other things, its own first rounder, that won’t really affect us.
If Garth did manage to get a first round pick out of Columbus for the Wiz and it wound up in the mid first, he might draft Larsson, move the Columbus pick up a bit and grab Victor Rask, super talented and tall Swedish centerman, and then possibly move the #31 pick up a bit and get Oscar Klefbom, another gifted Swedish two way defenseman. We could then call the 2011 Islander draft the Tre Kroner draft. Afterwards, Kallur and Jonsson could treat everybody to smorgasbord at Aquavit in Manhattan!!!
hahahahahah
And I have to thank you, I had no idea Musil had been injured. Thanks for keeping up with this and offering it to everyone.
known far and wide for stat-fu and irking people
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
"isn’t it amazingly simple to use the link pop-up?" - JPinVA
No problem
I don’t know just how severe Musil’s injury is. Apparently he has sustained a hairline fracture of his right fibula blocking a shot. He’ll almost certainly miss the WJCs. And even when he comes back, he’ll face questions about his health and the decline in his offense. Could even fall to the second round. Would likely be a steal with the #31 pick. If we did get additional first rounders, Rask and Klefbom are definitely guys I would look at along with Sven Bartschi, Nino’s countryman and Portland teammate and a hotshot sniper.
should add that unlike some in the media
I have confidence in the Islander scouts and their ability to guide Garth to the right picks.
I just don't know enough about these guys,
maybe someone can keep us informed on the players throughout the season.
I know it wont happen but I would rather trade the #1-3 pick for someone who hasdone something in the league. There has to be some takers out there
Any task BIG or small, Do it well or not at all
I have tried to do some of that and will continue to
Did you read my post introducing these guys a few weeks ago? Usually when you have talent like this, trading a top five pick for established talent is not a good idea.
I did, however, propose a bid for Zach Parise in another post. Some had pushed the idea while others dismissed it. I strongly suspect, however, that logic will push Lou Lamoriello to do something he doesn’t want to do—trade Zach Parise. If I am Zach’s agent, I am pushing for at least as much as Kovi got if not more. The Devils are already facing having to unload salary when Zach comes off LTIR. What happens if they have to more than double his cap hit? Many of the older vets have NTCs and NMCs. What if they refuse to be moved? Can Lou pass all of the ones with NTCs through waivers and send them down? He may be forced to move Zach.
LA can offer a good deal. Schenn, Hickey, a top six not named Kopitar or Smyth, Bernier, and a few first rounders. Many disagree, but I think that Moulson, our top two pick, a goalie prospect, a good young player like Schremp, and another first rounder might be competitive. We will see.
It's interesting, the top 4, how different they are
Larsson was billed as the next Ray Bourque/a better Victor Hedman, then saw his PP time disappear this year. Why is that?
Couturier hasn’t improved since last year, and comparisons range from Jordan Staal to Eric Staal to Lecavalier. Also rumors of his dad/agent not letting media speak to him hurts his mental toughness rep.
Landeskog leaves the SEL to come here and learn the North American game, becomes team captain of Kitchener, and is of the 4 the one who’s stock is most rising. Most improved of them all, but doesn’t necessarily make him top 2 worthy.
Nugent-Hopkins isn’t dominating or improving, but is still the top playmaker along with or ahead of Couturier, depending on who you read. Small player, but does he play small. We’ll see.
Can we just do this whole thread again after the WJC? We are on the verge of finding out exactly how these guys compare to one another.
"I think we got the better Lindros." - Fulla Maloney; "If I'm wrong about Kvasha, then off with my head" - Voldemort; {{lifts hand; several pencils, keyboards, and cell phones shatter}} - Darth Wang
interesting indeed!
Larsson is an enigma. Wish I knew of a blogger over in Sweden who watches the SEL and would be able to comment intelligently on what is going on with Larsson. I do not however. If anyone does, feel free to refer that person to me.
The thing with Couturier and the media does raise questions and the Red Line report raised that big time. If you are making that kind of investment in a guy, you don’t want him to be a locker room problem.
Landeskog is impressive any way you look at him. His only shortcoming is his height. I think he is 6’ and it would be nice if a top line tough guy were 6’2" of 6’3" or more.
Can’t quite get past the size thing with RNH. We just need bigger guys.
I absolutely will do a thorough post-series critique.
I agree with the need for bigger guys though they also take longer to develop than their more compact counterparts. Not quite sure why that is the case but often the bigger guys seem to take longer to evolve (brains are just too damn far from their feet?). The early season hype was all around a big three (courturier, RNH, Larsen) and I fully expected the North American guys to end up with more hype because it’s easier for scouts and media to see them. I agree about RNH’s lack of size, De Haan makes me nervious for the same reason. Not to say a slimmer guy can’t be exceptional just seems alot higher risk of injury.
I'd guess Landeskog or Larsson.
Larsson will show what he’s got on the big stage but I think Landeskog is going to bump himself to a legit top 2 pick. Just have that feeling right now. Landeskog is bumping up his stats hard right now playing great in juniors, so I’m expecting Landeskog to put on a decent show of all his abilities.
John Tavares=The Franchise, The Future, and still only 20yrs old, SO GIVE HIM SOME F**KING TIME TO MATURE CRITICS! Not everyone is Wayne Gretzky(although Tavares did break some of his records....tee hee)
Yes, although seeing them on the same stage may help Garth and Co decide
I now understand that Skelleftea owns the best record in the SEL. It may be that they are so deep in talent (and Rundblad and Erixon were both seen as blue chip prospects in 2009) that they can afford not to give Larsson as much ice time. I will try to find out more and I suspect that the WJC coverage will be all over it.
Interesting League, the SEL is, as far as defensemen's season point totals:
Nicklas Lidstrom played in SEL one season before being drafted, 88-89: 34GP 1-6-7; then 2 more seasons after Detroit drafted him, 89-90: 38GP 8-8-16; and 90-91: 39GP 4-19-23.
Tobias Enstrom (only other Swedish NHL Dman putting up points close to Lidstrom since 2007) played in SEL in 02-03: 42GP 1-5-6, and won SEL Rookie of the Year. Then Atlanta drafted him. He then played 4 more years in SEL before joining Thrashers. His best SEL year point-wise was 06-07: 55GP 7-21-28, in his fifth year as a 22 year old.
Victor Hedman played two seasons in SEL before Tampa drafted him, 07-08: 39GP 2-2-4; and 08-09: 43GP 7-14-21. He went right to the NHL after the draft.
Adam Larsson is in his 2nd season in SEL. His first, in 09-10: 49GP 4-13-17. This tied the SEL record for most points by an under-18 Dman, previously held by our very own Tomas Jonsson (77-78 35GP 8-9-17). That’s as many points as Lidstrom, Enstrom, and Hedman’s COMBINED first-SEL-season totals. This season he is 28GP 1-7-8.
The one player of this upcoming draft group that’s consistently had the word ‘franchise’ next to his name is Larsson. One site has intel that the Oilers will offer their pick (possibly #5) plus a young forward for the #1 overall pick just so they can draft Larsson.
Can’t wait for the WJC’s…
"I think we got the better Lindros." - Fulla Maloney; "If I'm wrong about Kvasha, then off with my head" - Voldemort; {{lifts hand; several pencils, keyboards, and cell phones shatter}} - Darth Wang
I guess the question is why, after such an incredible rookie season, he has fallen off this year and is being given such a light load in TOI?
Of course, Rundblad and Erixon are tough competition and there is another more veteran defenseman on Skelleftea’s squad who has good stats. A Swedish friend has promised to see what he can find out. If anyone knows of a SEL blogger, please give me his info.
A little skeptical of the Oil “intel”. I have no doubt that the Oil, and most every other franchise, would love to be able to draft Larsson. But at this stage, with the Oil starting to pick up their game, they may not even have a top ten pick when all is said and done. And there is only one forward on their team who would justify us giving up Larsson…and I am sure they will not part with him!!!
To me, this season may be a gift in disguise. Most prognosticators had us finishing about where we seem likely to finish BEFORE we had all these injuries. The playoffs were only possible if everything broke right and even then a stretch. Now Garth can see what DP has left, develop Josh into the center he was meant to be, and give his best Bridgeport prospects a look without the pressure of an unrealistic playoff run. Moulson is proving he’s for real. Hamonic is quickly showing that he is one of the best young defensemen in the NHL. Grabner is offering a serious dark horse run at the Calder as he, Frans, and Jesse develop into a very effective third line. Now all Garth has to do is work a trade for a veteran playmaker for the top line and this team is set to compete next year. Add Larsson, Nino, De Haan, and Poulin and the Isles will be a genuine playoff contender in 2011-12.
Nice comparison. The only franchise guy I hear too is Larsson. We have the #1 pick, no question we should draft him.
We are building a solid team of puckmoving d-men (streit, hamonic, de haan, and possibly a-mac) and larsson would be a welcoming addittion to that core. That could be some serious o production from the blueline for the next 4yrs. Pretty awesome thought.
The only forward that really interests me is Landeskog. Sure couturier can become an excellent shutdown d-men or arguably a better Bailey(who knows right now though), but centers are the last thing we need. Landeskog though is on the verge of a 50goal+ ohl season, which is impressive, and most likely going to make him the best goalscorer and power forward in the entire draft, probably the unanimous #1/top ranked winger too. Add that to a nice WJC showing, and he could be something special, 30goal+/yr leader special. Probably not worth the loss of a larsson, but definitely good.
John Tavares=The Franchise, The Future, and still only 20yrs old, SO GIVE HIM SOME F**KING TIME TO MATURE CRITICS! Not everyone is Wayne Gretzky(although Tavares did break some of his records....tee hee)
Garth is always very circumspect
and in this case, its a good thing. But there’s no way to know how he and the rest of the scouting staff are evaluating these guys or how they see each of them fitting in to the core. Maybe he sees Landeskog as his Clarkie. Or maybe he drafts Couturier and moves JT to wing. But I agree that Larsson would be the ideal pick—-IF Garth can work a trade for a veteran playmaker.
I'm speaking right now for (drum roll, please)......
Sean Couturier
NTIPC
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Dec 22, 2010 3:23 PM EST reply actions
He has edged up in the vote total
Still five back of AL though. Garth would really have to be sold on him being head and shoulders better than AL or GL to pick him with the talent we have at center.
You take Couturier and we'll take Larsson.. Deal?
By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series. -Steve Rushin
Not a deal I would favor
Could work out that way though. Leaving aside the vagaries of the draft lottery, Isles and Devs will almost certainly be the bottom two teams. Which team finishes on bottom will probably come down to head to head competition.
Obviously many Devils fans favor Larsson. Not as clear that Lou would make that choice though. Larsson is definitely head and shoulders over any current Devil defensive prospects, but the Devils nevertheless have a number of very good defensive prospects. They are weaker at forward. In particular, they lack a dominant first line centerman. In fact, the only one in the entire Devil organization, Jason Arnott is, I think, 35 and is surely approaching the end of his career. And, of course, he could get traded—if he agrees. So even if the Devils pick first, there is a decent chance that Lou picks Couturier rather than Larsson.
The Isles, on the other hand, have a lot of quality depth at center. On the roster, you have JT, Josh, Schremp, Nielsen, and even FA Konopka is a very good fourth line center. In the system, there is Ullstrom at Bridgeport, Lee, Nelson, and Cizikas in college or juniors. And they are all high quality prospects, especially Lee. Not saying I know which way Garth will go, but our system has more quality depth at center, yours on defense. On the surface at least, I would be inclined to think that the Isles would lean toward Larsson and the Devils toward Couturier. If the Bruins are picking third, they would love Landeskog, although they would probably also be quite happy if Larsson slipped to them.
Well, the voting seems to have shifted toward Couturier
Far more than it did some weeks ago when I did this comparison. Are people voting for Couturier because they think he will be a better prospect or just narrowly because they think he will have a better WJC tourney? No one is leaving any comments really pushing him, so there’s no way to know. Will do another poll after the WJCs and see what the mood of the fanbase is then.
The voting is now tied 55-55 between Larsson and Couturier
Don’t know whether people are voting according to who they want the Isles to pick or who they think will have the best tourney. In any event, it is interesting since neither of these two did much in game 1. Landeskog was easily the most dominant of the three.
If Landeskog continues to dominate and NJ gets the #1 pick (a real possibility since they are now 4 points below us in the standings AND it was recently announced that Parise will not even start to skate before March) AND NJ picks Larsson, Landeskog’s WJC performance might earn him the nod over Couturier. MacKenzie at TSN has a pretty good feel for these things and has a lot of scouting contacts. His take at tourney’s end will be worth noting.
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
